Spies, Secrets and Lies
by mia2009
Summary: This story picks up after the Season 3 episode Chuck vs the Final Exam. Chuck has just passed his red test and is about to be moved to D.C
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, so I was really frustrated after watching Chuck last night. I'm getting angry that Sarah's character keeps having these breakthrough Sarah moments with Shaw, whom in my opinion she has absolutely no chemistry with, instead of having them with Chuck like she should be. Anyway, enough ranting about that. **_

_**I kind of like this whole idea of Sarah thinking Chuck has actually killed someone when he in fact has not. On top of that Chuck needing to lie to her about it, in order to protect both her and Casey. This Story is going to pick up from where "Chuck vs. The Final Exam" left off.**_

_**So I probably shouldn't be taking on another story right now, but I kind of want to see where I go with this, hope you do to. Enjoy.**_

**Spies, Secrets and Lies**

**Chapter 1**

The gun felt heavy in his hand. He should have been used to the weight by now, the feel of his finger resting on the trigger, ready to pull back. Chuck tossed the gun down on the table and stared at his hands. Were they capable of taking the life of another? As far as his team was concerned, as far as Beckman was concerned, he had passed his red test with flying colors. He was a killer. He had pulled the trigger, inevitably ending the life of Hunter Perry. Everything was different now. There was no going back. Chuck was a spy.

A knock at the door roused Chuck from his thoughts. He had been waiting to hear back from Sarah. Surely she would come see him when she heard what had happened, when she got his messages.

"Oh, thank God Sarah." He said aloud as he made his way to the door.

Chuck grabbed hold of the doorknob, and swung it open expecting to find Sarah on the other side.

"Sarah…" He started only to discover it was not Sarah on the other side of the door. Instead he was greeted by an unfamiliar face. That of a female agent.

"Good evening Agent Bartowski. Your flight to Washington leaves in an hour. I'm here to take you to the airport. Are you ready?"

Chuck stood before her dumbfounded, everything was happening so fast.

"An hour?" He managed to get out.

"Yes Agent Bartowski. We must leave immediately." She replied.

"But..But I…" He wasn't ready for this. He needed to talk to Sarah. Why the hell wasn't she calling him back. "I'm not packed." he finally said.

The female agent looked at her watch. "I can give you five minutes." She said before turning her attention back to him.

Chuck swallowed hard. It wasn't much time, but he would take it. 'Thank you." he said. "I'll be quick. Please come in… have a seat." Chuck gestured for her to take a seat on the couch as he made his way back to his bedroom. He no sooner got in his room, closing the door behind him and he had already hit the speed dial on his phone.

"Come on Sarah pick up." Chuck paced the room as the phone rang and rang but she didn't answer. Why wasn't she answering. Surely she had heard by now what had happened tonight. Chuck sighed when the phone finally went to Sarah's voicemail again.

"Sarah!.." he sounded frantic. "Look, I really need to talk to you…there's an agent here to take me to the airport….They're taking me to Washington tonight. I'm leaving in an hour….Sarah….I just" His voice softened. "Sarah…I need you….Please… call me back."

Chuck closed his phone and made his way over to his closet. Opening the door, he removed his big black duffle bag. He tossed the bag down on his bed and went to work pulling random items out of his drawers and tossing then into the bag.

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright?" Agent Shaw asked as she escorted him to her door.

"Yeah." She lied. "I think I'm going to call it a night." She finished.

"I can stay if you like."

"No." She responded, maybe a little too quickly for Shaw's liking. Sarah could tell by his expression that he was definitely surprised and perhaps even a little hurt by her quick response. "I'm just really tired…I think i need some time to myself."

Shaw nodded as he opened the door. "Goodnight Sarah." He said making his way out the door.

"Goodnight." She closed the door behind him. She leaned against it, taking a brief moment for herself. That moment was short lived when her cell phone rang from across the room. Sarah rushed to grab the device that was laying on her bed. Sarah glanced at the screen on her phone. This was the third time in the past ten minutes the thing had gone off. She was not surprised when she was greeted by the beautiful image of one Chuck Bartowski. Sarah's finger hovered momentarily over the ignore button before she finally pushed it. She couldn't deal with Chuck right now. She didn't know him anymore and the worst part was it was all her fault. She never thought he would be capable of taking another's life, but thanks to her, that's exactly what he did. She had turned him into a killer.

The tears welled in her eyes once again. Why did this have to be so hard? Chuck was just doing his job. She never thought twice about Bryce taking a life, nor would she had it been Shaw. It's what they did, it was part of the job, But they weren't Chuck. He wasn't that guy, it just wasn't in his nature, that's what attracted her to him. His innocence, his ability to find the good in everyone, to always do the right thing. The government had robbed him of that and she had played a big part in it. She blamed herself.

Sarah's phone beeped, indicating she had voice mail. She glanced at the screen on her phone once again. She had three new messages. Sarah wiped at her eyes and called her voice mail. She punched in her password and waited patiently for the new messages to play.

"_Hey Sarah it's me." _

He sounded troubled and why wouldn't he? Sarah knew exactly how he must be feeling. Like she had told Shaw moments ago, the day she took her red test was the worst day of her life.

"_Please call me back Sarah, I really need to talk to you." _

Sarah erased the message and waited for the next one to play.

"_Sarah. Look I don't know where you are or why you haven't called me back, but I really need to see you or talk to you. Call me… Please." _

He sounded desperate and she hated it. It brought up too many horrible memories. Memories she thought she had put behind her. Your first kill is never easy and not something you ever forget. She wanted to comfort him, tell him it was going to be okay, that he would recover from this, but knowing Chuck, she wasn't so sure he would. After being prompted to do so, Sarah deleted the message and waited for the final message to play.

"_Sarah!.." he sounded frantic. "Look, I really need to talk to you…there's an agent here to take me to the airport….They're taking me to Washington tonight. I'm leaving in an hour….Sarah….I just" His voice softened. "Sarah…I need you….Please… call me back." _

"Oh my God Chuck." They were moving him tonight. Sarah looked at her watch. The last message from Chuck was from nearly 15 minutes ago, which meant that in 45 minutes Chuck would be airborne. He would be on his way to D.C to finalize everything with the General before leaving for Rome.

Without hesitation Sarah grabbed her coat and her keys and flew out the door.

* * *

Chuck sat silently in the airport near his gate waiting for his plane to board. The female agent accompanying him sat directly across from him.

"I heard you passed your test with flying colors." She said breaking the silence.

"Huh?' he looked up at her. "Oh, yeah. Flying colors." Those were her words not his. Of course he knew the truth. Him and his former handler Colonel John Casey. It would be their secret. He had no other choice. If he told the truth, It would be the end for Casey. He was a civilian now and what he had done was nothing short of murder. He didn't have a title to hide behind anymore, it would be the end for him. To make matters even worse, it would be the end for any chance Chuck had of ever being with Sarah. He would go back to being just plain old Chuck Bartowski, nerd hearder extraordinaire of the Burbank Buy More. How could he ever be expected to go back to that after all he had seen, after all he had done. It wasn't fair.

"Flight 1263 to Washington D.C is now boarding at gate 12." the announcement came from the intercom.

"Well that's us." The agent announced as she stood up.

Chuck looked up at her as she stood in front of him, waiting for him to gather his belongings.

"You coming?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Chuck stood up and grabbed his carry on bag. He slung the strap over his shoulder and removed his boarding pass from his pocket. He proceeded to follow the agent as they headed towards gate 12.

Once in line, it moved quickly. Everything seemed to be moving quickly Chuck thought to himself. Chuck pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. No missed calls, no messages. Sarah never called. The look of disappointment on Chuck's face was abundant and didn't go unnoticed.

"Everything okay Agent Bartowski?" His companion questioned.

Chuck tucked the phone back in his pocket. "Everything's fine." he said. "Just anxious to get to D.C. I guess."

* * *

The wheels of her Porsche screeched as she sped up to the loading zone at LAX. Sarah jumped out and headed for the door.

"Lady you can't park there!" A security guard yelled to her.

Sarah whipped out her badge and flashed it. The guard immediately stood down and let her pass through the doors. Sarah had made some calls on the way to the airport and discovered that Chuck was supposed to be on flight 1263. A direct flight from L.A to D.C. Sarah checked the outgoing flights and discovered that Chuck's plane was leaving from gate 12. She ran as quickly as she could, flashing her badge to bypass security. Sarah slowed down as she approached gate 12. She looked around searching frantically for him. Finally she spotted him in line.

"Chuck!" She called out to him. Her voice caught in her throat making it barely audible. She watched as he advanced in the line. Every second that went by she was a second closer to losing him.

She had to stop him. "Chuck!" She tried again. This time her voice loud and clear.

Chuck was getting ready to hand over his boarding pass when he heard it. His mind must be playing tricks on him he concluded and proceeded forward.

"Chuck!"

He heard it again. Chuck looked around and then his eyes met hers.

"Sarah?" He didn't know if she was real or not. He watched as she headed towards him.

"Chuck wait!" She called to him.

"Sarah!"

"Agent Bartowski? The plane is boarding." The fellow agent reminded him as he veered from the line to meet up with Sarah.

"I'll just be a minute." He assured her as he stepped out of line. She followed suit and moved aside as she waited for him to return.

"Chuck." She panted, obviously out of breath from her long sprint through LAX.

"Sarah. You came." he reached out for her hands taking them into his own.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "I am now."

"I'm sorry Chuck…I didn't know they were going to give you your red test tonight…I…forgive me?" she pleaded with him.

"Forgive you?" He was confused. What did he possible have to forgive her for?

"If it wasn't for me, you never would have killed him Chuck…I turned you into this…" She looked down, she couldn't stand to look him in the eyes.

"Sarah…no.. you don't understand…"

"No, Chuck, you don't understand. It's because of me that Hunter Perry's blood is on your hands. I remember what it's like, the first kill. I'm so sorry." She cried.

"Sarah, stop." He wanted to tell her so badly. He wasn't a killer. He was still that man she asked to run away with her months prior. The man she was ready to give everything up for. "It's not what you think." he continued.

"Chuck you don't have to explain. You were doing your job."

"Sarah no….I didn't.."

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He looked down to the ground. He didn't want to lie to her but what choice did he have. This wasn't the time. There were too many people around.

When she had entered the airport, the only thing on her agenda was stopping him. She told herself she would do whatever it took to keep him there. She didn't want to lose him. It wasn't until now that she began to realize that she already had. Her Chuck was gone.

"Final call for flight 1263 to Washington D.C." The announcement came over the intercom.

"Bartowski, we need to leave now." His traveling companion approached him.

"Yeah. I'll be right there." He motioned to her.

"You better go. You don't want to miss your flight." Sarah said.

"I don't?" he asked.

"Chuck…"

"Sarah, we never finished our conversation from the stakeout the other night."

"I know." she replied averting his eyes.

"I'm a real spy now Sarah. This is what we've been waiting for. This is a good thing for us…right?"

Sarah didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.

"Sarah?"

"Bartowski now!" The agent barked at him as she tugged on his arm.

Chuck never broke his gaze with Sarah who refused to look up at him. It was too hard for her.

"Goodbye Chuck." was the last words he heard from her as the agent escorted him away through the gate. Sarah's eyes remained fixated on the ground. She couldn't bare to look at him.

_**Okay so I know a lot of you may not be happy with that ending for the chapter, but just let it play out. I would love to hear your feedback on this. Should I continue?**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay I really wanted to get this chapter out before Monday's episode. Hope everyone is enjoying it. Please leave feedback and let me know what you think. Like it? Hate It? Let me know.**_

Chapter 2

The flight was long. Chuck had spent most of it in silence. Occasionally his traveling companion would attempt to make conversation with him, but he didn't give her much to woke with with his one word answers.

From the airport he was taken immediately to CIA headquarters where he was brought directly to General Beckman. She sat behind her large desk. Chuck couldn't help but think that a woman of her size should really go with a slightly smaller desk, so as not to draw attention to her tiny physique. Chuck sat directly across from her. His face was without emotion and unreadable.

"Congratulations Chuck. Tonight you completed the last part of your training. I have to say, after what happened in Prague I had my doubts that this day would ever come, but I am happy to say that you have proved us all wrong. Well Done."

"Thank you General." he replied. His tone was sedate and without feeling.

The General reached across her desk to hand him a large envelope. Chuck reached out and took it from her. He carefully opened it and removed it's content. The first thing that caught his eyes was a check made out to him for an incredibly large sum of money.

"What is this?" he asked.

"That's your paycheck from your mission." She replied.

"My paycheck?"

"Yes Chuck, for killing Hunter Perry."

Chuck's breath caught in his throat and he felt sick to his stomach. It was blood money. No matter what the government wanted to call it, no matter how they tried to disguise it, that's what it was.

"Inside the envelope, you will also find information pertaining to your new cover. You'll be leaving for Rome once we conclude here. Once you are settled, Agents Shaw and Walker will make contact with you. Do you have any questions Chuck?"

"No General."

"Very well then Agent Bartowski. There are some forms requiring your signature after which we can initiate your transfer to Rome

Beckman pushed the intercom button on her phone to call in one of her agents. The agent entered mere seconds later.

"Agent Wilson, please escort Agent Bartowski downstairs so he can complete his paperwork for us."

"Yes General." Agent Wilson replied.

General Beckman stood from her seat. She extended her hand across the desk to Chuck. Chuck stood up and accepted her hand.

"Good luck Chuck. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you General." He replied before following Agent Wilson out the door.

* * *

Sarah pounded violently on the heavy bag. She had been at it for nearly two hours now and was showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. The sweat poured from her forehead as she repeatedly hammered her fists into it at full force.

The sun peered in through the blinds, illuminating her room. Sarah had not even been to bed, yet a new day was upon her. After watching Chuck board his plane the night before, she had spent hours driving around, trying to clear her head, figure things out.

Not even 12 hours ago, she had told Shaw that she didn't love Chuck anymore, She couldn't. It was a lie, who was she kidding? How could she not love him? Who was she to judge him for what he did? He only did what she had told him to do. Something she did herself on a regular basis. It was part of the job. The worst part is, he needed her last night and she wasn't there for him. She felt nauseous thinking about it. How could she treat him like that.

Sarah's mind drifted back to two nights ago, when they took part in what was supposed to be their last stake-out together. Chuck really tried to make it special for them, with the champagne, the shrimp, the music. All reminders of better times. Being together, just the two of them, they finally had a chance to talk about things, about Prague and the decisions they made, he made. He wanted nothing more than another chance with her. She wanted it too even though she hadn't said it out loud. He had leaned in to kiss her. She tried to meet him halfway. It would have been incredible had they not been interrupted by Shaw.

The knocking on her door jolted Sarah from her thoughts. She finally stopped pounding on the bag to go answer the door. Sarah was a little surprised to find Agent Shaw standing before her, two coffees in hand.

"Shaw?… What are you doing here?" She asked, her breathing labored from her intense boxing session.

"I thought we could ride in together this morning." He extended his hand to her, offering her the coffee.

Sarah took the coffee and turned away, walking back into her apartment she left Shaw standing in the doorway. Sarah set the coffee down on a nearby table and went into the bathroom.

Shaw stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind him. "Is everything okay Sarah?" he called out to her.

Sarah exited the bathroom with a towel in hand. She wiped at the sweat on her face.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

"I don't know, you just seem….different."

"Everything is fine." She assured him.

"Okay… Well I can wait for you to shower then we can head out."

"Actually, I was thinking…I was thinking I might take a few days off…get out of town for a while."

Shaw was confused. "Sarah…It's not really a good time for a vacation...I mean we have a lot to do before the transfer to D.C. We need to shut operations down here and…"

"I know, I just….I can't right now….I need a few days…" She pleaded with her eyes and he could see the tears forming as she struggled to hold them back.

"Okay…Take a few days." he conceded, there was no use arguing with her. She was going to win regardless.

"Thank you."

"So, where are you headed?" he asked taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm not sure. I just need some time away from all of this."

Shaw nodded. He knew Sarah was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that Chuck had killed someone and how she blamed herself for it. "Take a week Sarah, Then I need you back to help with preparations. I'll be in touch." Shaw made his way to the door. "Have a safe trip." He leaned in to kiss Sarah who turned her head to him.

Shaw stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"I'm sorry…I…just…cant." she tried to explain.

"No, It's fine…really Sarah….I'll see you when you get back." Sarah couldn't help but notice the change in his attitude. She compared it to that of a child who had been denied their desert after dinner.

"Yeah." Was all she could manage to say.

Shaw left and Sarah closed the door behind him.

She quickly made her way to the bathroom, jumped in the shower and dressed quickly. Sarah proceeded to grab her black suitcase and packed quickly. Forty five minutes later, she found herself, back at LAX standing in the ticket line.

"Can I help you?" the lady behind the counter asked.

"Yes, I need a ticket on your next flight out to Rome." she said handing the lady her credit card.

* * *

"I don't care who he is or what he can do. If he's not on our side I want him taken out." He said exiting the window from Chuck's bedroom, a small laptop computer in hand.

"How do you expect us to do that, if he flashes?" The voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I don't care how you do, Just do it. I want Chuck Bartowski dead!." Shaw closed his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Before exiting the courtyard.

"Arrrgh.." Casey grunted as he stood up from behind the hedges, clippers in hand, and watched Shaw leave. He thought it was suspicious when he saw him sneaking into Chuck's place, knowing that Chuck was out of the country.

"Shaw's with the ring." he said. Casey pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the familiar number, unfortunately for him it went right to voicemail.

"Walker. We got a problem. I need you to call me ASAP and don't tell anyone I contacted you." His voice was urgent. "Sarah, it's… it's about Chuck." He hung up the phone as he proceeded to go into agent mode.

* * *

Chuck placed the key in the keyhole and opened the door to his posh new penthouse apartment. His new cover as a billionaire industrialist certainly came with its perks, he thought taking a look around. Chuck dropped his luggage to the floor and took in the scenery. He was impressed to see that his new apartment came complete with a closet full of designer suits. It was the wardrobe of a billionaire.

Jetlag kicking in. Chuck decided to take a quick shower, followed by a nice long nap.

Chuck stood under the hot, steamy shower, allowing the water to beat down on him. It was soothing to him. Chuck's mind began to drift and it wasn't long before he found himself thinking of Sarah. He couldn't get the last image of her at the airport out of his head. The way she had looked at him, cut him down to his very core. She looked at him and she saw a killer, she didn't see Chuck anymore. He had never felt more disgusted or ashamed in his life. Any chance he may have had of reconnecting with Sarah were out now. How could they every be together when she could barely stand to look at him?

As much as he wanted her to know the truth, he knew that the risks were greater if he told her. He would not jeopardize her or Casey. The two people who saved his life countless times over the past three years. They were his colleagues, his friends, his family. He would protect them at all costs, the same way they had done for him on a daily basis. He may not be able to pull the trigger to take another's life, but he sure as hell could do this. He owed them that much.

* * *

Sarah tried to sleep on the plane but she kept waking up from the same nightmare. The image of Chuck, his gun drawn as he stood over the body of Hunter Perry. The image was disturbing to her. But not as disturbing as Chuck's behavior following the shooting. It was nothing like what she would have expected it to be after Chuck shot and killed his first mark. Things just didn't add up. Yes Chuck had changed over the past few months while he made his transformation into a spy, but she found it hard to believe that the man she had come to know had changed so drastically that his first kill would have such a small impact on him, when hers tore her up inside for months, gnawing away at her like some kind of parasite. Something was definitely off and she planned to find out what it was.

* * *

Chuck had slept through the majority of the day. He was actually surprised to see that it was near 10 pm when he did finally get up. His body was going to take some time to adjust to the time difference. Chuck threw on a pair of pants and made his way into the kitchen, He was pleasantly surprised to see that his cupboards and refrigerator were fully stocked with all of his favorites. He tore into a box of cereal and grabbed the milk from the fridge, fixing himself a nice heaping bowl.

Chuck made his way through the apartment and entered the living room area. He walked over to the window and opened the blinds. There were two doors that opened up leading out to a balcony that overlooked the city. Chuck opened the doors and stepped outside, cereal bowl still in hand. He took in the sight before him. The city skyline was unlike any he had every seen before and paled in comparison. The view was simply spectacular, he couldn't believe that this was his apartment.

Chuck scarfed down his bowl of cereal. Apparently he was more hungry than he thought. Walking back inside he proceeded to the kitchen. He washed his bowl in the sink and set it dish drainer to dry. Chuck made his way back to his living room to do some more exploring of this new apartment of his. He took special interest in the 62 inch flat screen plasma TV in the living room. There was a gorgeous stone fire place and a black leather sectional sofa with additional seating. The living room branched off into an are perfect for entertaining. There was a fancy pool table and a hot tub among it's furnishings. There were two addition bedrooms, both of which had their own private bathroom attached to it. The master bedroom had a large bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi tub.

"Chuck."

Chuck nearly jumped out of his skin when Beckman's face appeared on the 62 inch screen TV.

"General?"

"Welcome to Rome Chuck. Are you enjoying your new place?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, it's… real nice." He replied.

"Chuck, If you walk towards the kitchen, you will see a door on your right, that opens open to a small pantry area."

Chuck walked towards the door and opened it.

"Inside the door frame on your right there is a button." She continued, watching Chuck as he felt around for the button.

"Okay I got it." he said.

"Push the button Chuck."

Chuck did as instructed and watched as the pantry wall opened up for him. He was greeted with an access panel complete with a key pad and a retina scan, much like Castle.

"I'll see you inside Chuck." Beckman said before disappearing from the screen. Chuck proceeded through the motions to gain entrance. Once completed, the door opened before him and he stepped into what could only be described as another world. He had thought Castle was fancy but it paled in comparison to what he had just stepped in to. He was surrounded by nothing but the best. State of the art equipment. Surveillance cameras recording any activity outside his door and all the windows. He noticed there were additional cameras throughout the apartment but they were not turned on and he was glad of that. As Chuck admired all of his fancy equipment, General Beckman appeared again on another large monitor that hung on the wall.

"Do you like your new headquarters Chuck?" She asked.

"It's incredible." He said.

"Good. Take some time to get yourself familiar with everything and let me know if there is anything more you need."

"Thank you General." He was able to get in before she cut the signal ending the call.

Chuck continued to explore, the room was huge. It even had a gym, complete with weights, treadmill, heavy bag, anything he could possibly need was there., Well almost anything. He thought of Sarah and wondered what she was doing at that very moment. He had images of her and Shaw in his head. Shaw was probably wining and dining her at that very moment and then who knows what, back to his place for desert. Chuck cringed at the thought and fought back the bile that was rising in his throat.

Chuck punched at the heavy bag as he pictured Shaw in his head. Had it not been for Shaw coming into the picture, he and Sarah could have been back together by now. He punched at the bag again. He thought about Shaw bringing her coffee every morning, looking at her the way he did, like he was undressing her with his eyes, kissing her. Chuck pounded away on the bag, the images tearing him up inside as he thought about the woman he loved more than anything in the arms of another man.

An hour had gone by and Chuck still found himself pounding away at the bag in front of him, the sweat dripped off of him. He only stopped hitting the bag when he heard what he believed to be his doorbell. Chuck grabbed a towel and wiped his forehead. He tossed the towel over his shoulders and proceeded to his door.

The bell rang again before he made it there.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!" he called out.

Chuck threw back the deadbolt and unlocked the second lock on the door before opening it. Chuck's mouth dropped, it couldn't be.

"Sarah?" he asked almost in disbelief.

"Hi Chuck."

_**I really look forward to reading your reviews, Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. Your reviews definitely inspire me to write faster. I'm glad you are enjoying this. Thanks for reading.**

Chapter 3

"Sarah…What are you...doing here?" Chuck asked as he stared in disbelief at the woman before him.

"Chuck…I…"She was at a lost for words. She had acted so spontaneously coming here. She had thought about all the things she had wanted to say to him, she even rehearsed them in her head, but now, standing in front of him, looking into his eyes, she found it difficult to breathe, let alone speak.

"I…wanted…to talk to you." she finally admitted.

Chuck smiled, he was thrilled to see her. "You came all the way to Rome to talk?"

"I…just…yeah." she managed to get out.

Chuck smiled. He didn't care why she was here. Her being her with him, meant she wasn't back in Burbank with Shaw. He stepped aside. "Come in." he motioned for her to enter.

Sarah picked up her suitcase that was resting on the floor next to her and entered Chuck's apartment.

"Wow, Chuck! Looks like the CIA really hooked you up." She said looking around the apartment.

"Yeah…I guess they did."

She turned to face him. Her gaze fell from his face to his shirtless form. The sweat glistened off his bare chest. Sarah didn't get the chance to see Chuck like this often, but she couldn't help but notice how muscular he really was. He wasn't overly muscular where it drew attention away from his face, it was more subtle but beneath the surface, or at least beneath the shirt it was there. Chuck's training in Prague had definitely done his body good.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Chuck asked.

Sarah seemed to be lost in her thoughts as she looked him up and down.

"Sarah?" he repeated waving a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?…What?" Sarah turned away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment from having been caught staring.

Chuck smirked. "You okay? You look pretty tired." he continued.

"Yeah, I guess I am." she replied.

"Well listen, why don't you come in and have a seat. Let me take a quick shower and get cleaned up then we can talk." He motioned for her to follow him into the living room.

"Can I get you something? A drink, something to eat?" he asked.

"No…no thanks, I'm good."

"Okay then, well make yourself at home, I'll be quick."

Sarah nodded and watched Chuck head towards his room. She couldn't help but notice how good he looked from behind too.

Sarah sat down on the couch. She was impressed by it's comfort and how it contoured to her body. She relaxed into it, allowing it to swallow her up. Sarah rested her head against the back of the couch, she closed her eyes and allowed them to rest as she waited patiently for Chuck to return.

* * *

Casey typed quickly. He didn't have much time and there was no telling how much time Chuck had with the Ring after him. Because Casey didn't have access to Castle or it's equipment anymore, he had broken into Sarah's hotel room in order to use her computer. Unfortunately Casey was not having any luck finding information that would link Shaw to the Ring. At this point all he had was his word, but would that be enough for his former partners?

Casey continued to scroll through the government files, reading at length on Agent Daniel Shaw. He did extensive searches on every one of his alias' and but came up with nothing. He typed in Shaw's wife's name, he researched her, her alias' and again nothing.

Casey did some cross referencing but still found nothing. Just when he was about to give up his search, something caught his eye.

"What the?….Oh…My….God.."

Casey pulled out his cell phone and tried Sarah again.

He grunted when it went straight to her voice mail.

"Walker this is important. Call me, Bartowski's in danger. Whatever you do, don't talk to Shaw."

Casey shut down the computer and gathered his belongings. He quietly snuck out of her room and made his way through the hotel exiting the front door virtually undetected, or so he thought.

Shaw watched through binoculars from his car as the former Colonel exited the building and made his way to his Crown Victoria.

"What are you up to Casey?" he asked aloud as he lowered the binoculars. Shaw started his car and waited for Casey to leave. He let Casey get a good 30 yard lead on him before he pulled out onto the road to tail him.

Casey made his way back to his apartment in record time. He tossed some personal items in a bag along with a change of clothes and his passport before heading back out the door to his car.

Shaw followed Casey to LAX and watched as he made his way up to the ticket booth.

Shaw entered the airport and followed him, careful to stay out of sight. He watched Casey as he boarded a direct flight out to Rome, Italy.

"What are you doing Casey?" Shaw headed back to his car and pulled out his cell phone.

He dialed Sarah's number, but it went straight to her voice mail.

"Hey Sarah, I was just checking in. Give me a call when you get this." He hung up and dialed another number.

"Hello." The voice on the other end greeted him.

"What did you find?" Shaw asked.

"I have the address, but it's going to take some time."

"What? Why?" Shaw questioned.

"Because I'm not in Rome. I'm in Venice and there are no flights out until the morning."

"I want this taken care of. We may have a problem."

* * *

Chuck emerged from his room, freshly showered. He had thrown on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Hey sorry I took so long, I…" Chuck stopped short when he saw Sarah laying on his couch sound to sleep. He smiled. She looked so content, so….beautiful. Chuck went back into his bedroom and emerged with a blanket. He covered her with it and dimmed the lights. Chuck took a seat on the other end of the couch and threw his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. He grabbed the remote control off the table and turned on the large screen TV. He was sure to turn the volume down so that it was very low and would not disturb Sarah.

Chuck scrolled through the channels and landed on an old episode 'Gilligan's Island.' He watched the familiar episode and couldn't help but think how cheesy it appeared with the Italian dialogue not matching up with the character's mouths. Easily amused, he chuckled and continued to watch.

* * *

Casey tried calling Sarah's phone one last time before the pilot gave them the order to shut their phones off. Again it went straight to voicemail. He quickly dialed Chuck's number and was greeted with a 'this number is no longer in service' message. Chuck must have a new phone, a new number. It was standard protocol now that he had a new identity. Casey's only hopes of getting in contact would be to get through to Sarah.

The pilot came over the intercom ordering the passengers to fasten their seatbelts. Ten minutes later, Casey was airborne.

* * *

Sarah woke up to an infomercial for some new cleaning product playing on the TV. She sat up on the couch, causing Chuck's eyes to open as well.

"Chuck?" She pushed the blanket off of her and sat up on the couch.

"Hey."

"Oh My God! Did I fall asleep?" she asked

"Yeah. You were pretty tired. I didn't want to wake you."

"I had the weirdest dream. We were On Gilligan's Island. You were Gilligan, I was Maryanne and Casey was the Skipper…it was weird."

Chuck laughed. "Well I would have pictured you more as the Ginger type." Sarah smiled and tossed a pillow from the couch at him. Chuck caught the pillow and chucked it back at her.

"What time is it?" She asked.

Chuck looked at his watch. "It's about 5:30 in the morning."

Sarah rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Chuck do you mind if I take a shower? Wake myself up. Then maybe we can talk?"

"Sure."

Sarah opened her suitcase and grabbed a change of clothes. Chuck led her through his bedroom and pointed out the bathroom to her.

"Thanks." she said closing the bathroom door behind her.

Chuck made his way back to the living room where he reclaimed his spot on the couch and began scrolling through the TV channels once again.

Twenty minutes later Sarah emerged dressed in a pair of jeans and light blue top. He hair was down and framed her face perfectly.

Chuck sat up straight as she entered the room.

"Chuck I was thinking maybe we could go grab some coffee maybe some breakfast. It's a little early but I know this little café not too far from here that opens early. I'd love to show you around Rome."

Chuck couldn't help but think that maybe Sarah was trying to put off talking with him, but at this point any time he could spend with Sarah was good.

"Okay, just let me change." Chuck shut off the TV and headed back to his room. He re-entered the living room a couple of minutes later in a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve shirt.

"Ready." He announced. The two of them grabbed their coats and headed out. It was still dark as they strolled the quiet streets of Rome side by side making idle conversation.

They stopped at the small café that Sarah had spoke of and got cappuccinos and Brioche. They continued to walk and take in the city lights.

"Oh! Come here I want to show you something." The excitement evident in her voice, Sarah grabbed hold of Chuck's hand and pulled him in the opposite direction. Her pace was fast as she rushed to her destination.

"Look." She pointed as they approached the object in question.

Chuck's mouth fell open as he took in the sight before him. The fountain illuminated the night sky, the sculptures were exquisite.

"The Trevi Fountain." Sarah said. "It's best to see it at night….or early morning."

She smiled as she watched his reaction. His eyes full of wonder, a grin ear to ear adorned his face.

"It's incredible." he finally said.

"Yeah."

Chuck turned to look at her. He couldn't help but notice how the lights cast a glow upon her, illuminating her face. They held their gaze for several seconds before Chuck's eyes fell. He looked down and realized their hands were still laced tightly together. Sarah followed his gaze. She blushed when she saw their hands intertwined.

"Sorry." she said pulling her hand away.

"Don't be."

Sarah turned her attention back to the fountain. It was her favorite spot to visit in Rome. Of all the times she had been to Rome, she never had the opportunity to share it with anyone. That is until now.

"Sarah. We should talk."

"I know." she replied, still not looking at him

The two took a seat on the edge of the fountain.

"Sarah, I'm confused. Before I left for Rome…at the airport… you seemed really distant. I don't understand. I'm a real spy now. I past my test. We don't have to choose between the job or us anymore. Everything I've done, everything I've worked towards…it was always for us…so we could have a chance. So I guess the real question now, is do you want to be with me?"

"Chuck…I."

"I know, you're with Shaw now. It doesn't change how I feel Sarah. You said it was different with him. Good different?"

"It's just different Chuck."

"That doesn't say much Sarah."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Why did you come here Sarah?"

"Chuck, I came here because I'm confused too. The other night when you past your red test…it's just…I thought you would have been more…I don't know…distraught over it…Your first kill isn't easy."

Chuck looked down to the ground. He wanted to tell her the truth.

"Sarah.."

"I just…it really disturbs me Chuck…that you've changed so much…I feel responsible."

"Sarah what are you talking about?" he asked.

"I never thought you'd do it Chuck…I hoped you wouldn't." The tears formed in her eyes.

"Sarah…I…"

"I turned you into this."

"Sarah no….I'm not that guy…I couldn't…" he stopped.

"Couldn't what?" she asked looking him in the eyes.

"Sarah, I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me?…Chuck…I don't understand."

"Sarah, Hunter Perry's dead…okay….he was shot…I'm just…I'm not..the…one who shot him." the last few words came out barely audible and he turned to look away from her.

"What?…Chuck…What are you saying?" She raised her voice, but her questions were met with silence.

"Sarah…I can't say anymore. Please…you just have to trust me."

"Chuck, if you didn't kill Perry then who did?"

"Lets just say someone had my back…someone who knew I wouldn't be able to do it…someone who knows I'm not a killer….I can't say anymore Sarah, not without putting them and you at risk. I've already said too much."

Sarah thought about what Chuck was saying. There were only two people who could have done that for him. Her being one and Casey being the other.

"Casey?" She asked. Again she was met with silence. She turned to face him and she could see the truth in his eyes. She shook her head. "Don't say anymore." She reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I knew you couldn't do that. It's not your style."

"I shouldn't have lied about it….I failed my test Sarah…I'm no spy."

"Chuck you are the best spy I've ever worked with. The fact that you value another human being's life makes you that much better."

"Better than Shaw?" he asked

"Better than anyone." she replied.

Their eyes met briefly before they found themselves leaning in for a kiss. Their lips brushed against one another's and for the first time since before Prague they felt at ease with one another. At that very moment everything was how it was supposed to be.

_**Thanks for reading. I look forward to your reviews.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks everyone for you comments and reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying this. Here's the new chapter. I look forward to your reviews.**_

Chapter 4

Chuck and Sarah strolled the streets of Rome hand in hand. They had stopped briefly to watch the sunrise. It was the beginning of a beautiful day in Rome.

Chuck glanced down at their intertwined hands "Sarah…Does this mean that…you and Shaw are finished?" Chuck asked slowing his pace, nearly coming to a stop.

Sarah came to a halt. She turned to face him. Reaching out she took his other hand into her free one and her eyes met his.

"Chuck, Shaw and I never got started. I mean, yeah we went out a few times but that's as far as it got. There was always something holding me back. I think that somewhere in the back of my mind, I was still holding out hope that you and I would be together… After Prague….I just….when you left me at the train station…" Her gaze fell to the ground.

"Sarah, I am so sorry." He chimed in. " I know I hurt you."

"Chuck, I'm just not used to putting myself out there like that, being so vulnerable….and when you rejected me…"

"I know it may not seem that way Sarah, but I wasn't rejecting you. I couldn't…I just thought….I thought, I was doing what was best…for everyone. I never meant to hurt you. I would never intentionally hurt you, you have to know that."

"I do…. And I understand why you did what you did. If you completed your training we could be together without the sneaking around. If you left with me, it would have been a life on the run. They'd always be looking for us. It was stupid of me to even ask that of you. I just… I wanted to have a normal life for once… I wanted that with you."

Chuck released one of Sarah's hands. He brought his own up to her face and lifted her chin so she was looking at him.

"It wasn't stupid Sarah. I wanted it too. I still do. Whose to say what's normal? Maybe this is normal. Taking down terrorist rings, knife fights, stakeouts, undercover jobs. All I know Sarah is that I want to be with you. We can create our own normal." Chuck's hand moved to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear. With his thumb he gently wiped away the tear that was beginning to make it's way down her cheek. He leaned in and left a kiss in it's place.

"Sarah, I love you. I always have and I always will… God you have no idea how good it feels to be able to look at you and finally say those words… Sarah Walker, I love you."

"Chuck." her eyes met his and they gazed lovingly into one another's eyes before he leaned in and captured her lips with his own.

Sarah ran her hands up his chest and brought them together behind his neck. He cupped her face with his hands as he pulled her in closer. The kiss was brief, but it spoke volumes. When they parted lips, Sarah rested her forehead against his momentarily before falling effortlessly into his embrace.

"I love you too." she said as he held her tightly, not wanting to ever let her go.

* * *

Casey's plane was scheduled to land in about an hour. He was anxious to get back on his phone and try Sarah again. He was beginning to wonder if something had happened to her. Perhaps she had been on to Shaw and he found out about it. Casey shrugged the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think like that. Besides, Sarah was a smart girl, if she were in trouble she would have called someone. Maybe Sarah just didn't want to be found. Regardless, Chuck was in danger, and if Sarah couldn't be there to have his back, Casey was going to make darn sure that he was. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

"What is your status?" Shaw asked the man on the other end of the phone.

"I'm about to board my plane. I should be in Rome within a few hours. Then I'll track down the target and take him out." the man replied.

"Dmitri do not let me down. I expect you to take care of this."

"Yes sir, consider it done." Dmitri closed the phone and tucked it back into his pocket. He handed the airline personnel his boarding pass and boarded his plane.

* * *

Chuck and Sarah had just finished a romantic dinner at a small, intimate establishment just outside the city. After spending a long, fun filled, romantic day with one another, they decided to catch a cab and head back to Chuck's place.

The two sat quietly in the back of the taxi, taking in the city lights. Their hands laced together. Sarah rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're here Sarah." Chuck said finally breaking the silence between them. He turned and kissed her on her forehead.

"So am I." She smiled up at him and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before leaning down to meet her lips with his own once again. His grin stretched ear to ear when they parted.

"I really like kissing you." he said. Sarah smiled in response.

"I really like kissing you too." She replied.

Chuck released her hand and lifted his arm, suggesting she move in closer. Sarah took his queue and slid closer to him as he welcomed her into his waiting arms.

It was a good five minutes later when Chuck spoke again. "This is nice." he said out of the blue.

"Mmmhmm." She agreed snuggling in closer.

"Sarah?"

"Hhmm?"

"Before you flew out here…did you get a chance to see Ellie before she left?"

Sarah sat upright and adjusted herself so she was looking at him directly now.

"No," She couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on his face. "Why?"

"I didn't get to say goodbye. When Beckman's agent showed up for me, I only had about five minutes to gather my things. They took my phone and I didn't get the new one until I arrived here. I only had about a minute to write her a quick note. I left it on Morgan's bed. I just…I just hope she got it."

Sarah caressed his cheek with her hand. "I'm sorry." she said.

Chuck nodded, he had no words. He just pulled Sarah back into his arms and held her close.

"Why don't you call her?" Sarah suggested.

"I can't. My phone has all my old contacts blocked out, even you and Casey. I was ordered to cut off all old ties, at least for now."

"I'm sorry." she repeated. She had no other words for him. Her heart ached for him. It wasn't fair. Nothing about this spy life seemed fair.

Moments later the cab pulled up to Chuck's place. Chuck handed the driver some money. He jumped out of the car and quickly made his way around to the other side of the car to open Sarah's door for her. He extended his hand to her and helped her out of the car.

"Thank you." She smiled at him. She couldn't help but be taken by him. He was so incredibly sweet and romantic. She had never experienced anything like it before. He was genuine, he wasn't after one thing. He truly loved her and she loved him in return. These new things she was allowing herself to feel, it was all a little overwhelming.

Chuck thanked the driver before closing the door. He and Sarah walked hand in hand up to his apartment. Chuck unlocked the door, he flipped on the light switch and ushered her inside.

"Make yourself at home. I'll get us some drinks." He said.

Sarah nodded and watched as Chuck made his way into the kitchen. She made her way over to the large sliding glass doors. She opened them and stepped out onto the balcony, the cool air felt good on her skin as she took in the view.

Chuck was smiling as he came back into the room, two glasses of wine and an open bottle in hand. He set them down on the coffee table and went to join Sarah out on the balcony.

Coming up behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. He lovingly moved his hands up and down her arms, caressing them gently, finally bringing his hands securely around her waist and she leaned back into him.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful before?" she asked taking in the view before her.

"No. Can't say that I have." he replied, looking at the vision in his arms.

She turned to find him staring at her, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she realized he was referring to her and not the skyline in front of them.

He pulled her closer, her back pressed tightly against his chest as he enveloped her in his strong arms. He leaned down to captured her lips. They danced in unison with one another. She turned in his arms to face him and grant him further access as their tongues partook in their own forbidden dance. It was a kiss so passionate, so full of desire and want, it left them both completely breathless.

She trembled and he pulled her in close, holding her as tight as his arms would allow.

"No one has ever made me feel like this before." She whispered into his neck. Her hot breath sending shivers down his spine.

"Me either." he managed to get out before leaning down and brushing his lips against her forehead. "Me either Sarah."

"I'm scared Chuck. I've never been more terrified in my whole life than I am right now." A single tear made it's way down her cheek.

"Why, what are you so afraid of?"

She closed her eyes and fought back the fresh set of tears that threatened to escape.

"Hey, don't shut down on me now." Chuck softly stroked her cheek with one hand while the other supported her firmly behind her neck. "Talk to me."

Sarah opened her eyes to meet his. "I don't want to lose you."

"Sarah, you're not going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere."

"No Chuck. I'm scared of losing you….because…because, I wont know how to love you. I don't know how to love anyone. I'm just, I'm not good at this sort of thing." The tears were in full force now.

Chuck looked at her, confusion all over his face. "Sarah, what are you talking about?"

"Chuck, I don't know how to do this. My past relationships, they were different. They weren't really based on love. Yeah there were feelings involved, but not like this."

Chuck smiled at her before kissing her tears away.

"What?" she asked as his grin seemed to grow. "Why are you smiling?"

"Sarah, you're doing it. This is what it's about, being open and honest with one another. As long as we continue to do that, we'll be fine."

"Really?" she asked, sounding more like a shy little school girl than a hardened CIA agent.

Chuck laughed. "Yes really. I promise you, we're going to be fine. We'll be better than fine, we're going to be great. I promise." He pulled her in close and she relaxed in his embrace.

"I do love you Chuck, I always have."

"I know Sarah and I love you. More than words could ever say, I love you."

* * *

Casey's plane had finally landed. He tried Sarah's phone again as he made his way through the terminal. Again, there was no answer. This was getting ridiculous. He was going to have to try some other way of tracking down Chuck. Casey began making phone calls.

* * *

Sarah moaned against his lips. He slowly worked at the buttons on her shirt as he laid her back onto the couch. Sarah pulled at his shirt as he hovered over her. She quickly pulled it up over his head. He assisted her in the process and discarded the material onto the floor. Her hands moved sensually over his bare skin as he came down on top of her again. Chuck continued to free her of her own shirt, allowing him to admire the thin, pink lace material of her bra. He trailed sensuous kisses down her neck working his way towards her breast. She ran her hands through his soft curls reveling in the feelings he was invoking in her.

"Chuck." his name escaped her lips. He pulled away and looked up at her when he heard his name.

She opened her eyes when she felt his absence. "Don't stop." she pleaded. "Please don't stop." Chuck flashed her a smile before moving back in to pick up where he left off.

Sarah toyed with the button on his jeans as he continued to work his magic on her. She wanted him, she wanted him bad. Sarah couldn't for the life of her remember ever wanting anything so badly in her life. The man did things to her she couldn't explain.

Things between the two of them were starting to get heated. She pulled at his zipper and tugged hard on his jeans. She was just about to make some leeway when the two of them lost their balance and tumble off the couch, causing Chuck to strike his forehead on the coffee table.

"Owww!!" He exclaimed as his hand flew to his head.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Sarah sat upright, her hand immediately going for his forehead to examine the goose egg that was already starting to form.

"Sarah I'm fine." he reassured her.

"I'll get you some ice." She moved to get up, but he caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back to him.

"I said, I'm fine." He pulled her in for another kiss. "But…maybe…we….should….move this….to…the….bedroom." he said between kisses. Sarah smiled against his lips. She stood up and helped Chuck to his feet. He led her towards the bedroom. Sarah came to a sudden halt.

"Did you hear that?"

"Huh?….Hear what?" Chuck questioned.

"I think that's my phone. I forgot it's on vibrate. I haven't even checked it since I left L.A." Sarah let go of Chuck's hand and made her way over to her suitcase that sat in the corner of the living room.

"Sarah, can't that wait? I mean…we were kind of in the middle of something here." Chuck sighed.

"I know, it's just, what if it's important? Just let me see who it was, It'll be quick I swear."

"Okay."

Sarah rummaged through the front pouch on her suitcase and retrieved her phone. She looked confused as she looked at the screen and began scrolling through the missed calls.

"What is it?" Chuck asked.

"It was Casey. I have several missed calls from him." Sarah dialed her voicemail and punched in her password. "I have messages."

Chuck looked concern. Casey didn't call for no reason and to have left messages, especially now that he was out of the spy game, it definitely peeked his interest.

Sarah listened carefully as she played back her messages.

"_**Walker this is important. Call me, Bartowski's in danger. Whatever you do, don't talk to Shaw." **_Casey sounded almost frantic in the message.

The next message was from Shaw.

"_**Hey Sarah, I was just checking in. Give me a call when you get this." **_

Sarah closed the phone, a look of concern came over her face. Chuck moved in closer to her.

"Sarah what is it?"

"Casey…he says you're in danger." Sarah picked her shirt up off the floor and started to put it back on. "I have to call him."

She punched in the familiar number, it only rang twice on her end before he picked up.

"Walker?"

"Casey! What's going on? I just got your message." She held the phone with her ear as she buttoned up her shirt taking a seat on the couch. Chuck took a seat next to her.

"Listen we need to get to Chuck, he's in danger. I just flew in to Rome, Do you know where he's staying?"

"Yes Casey, I'm with him now."

"You're with him! Is Shaw with you?" Casey asked cautiously.

"No! Shaw's in Burbank." Chuck cringed at the mention of Agent Daniel Shaw. "He doesn't know I'm here."

"Walker… Shaw is with the ring."

"What? Casey, don't be ridiculous."

"Sarah, I have proof. Where are you?"

Sarah gave Casey Chuck's address.

"Stay put, I'll be there within half an hour. Oh and Sarah, Don't say anything to Shaw, if he thinks you're on to him….Just don't say anything okay."

"Okay. I'll see you in a little while." Sarah hung up her phone and leaned back against the couch.

"Casey's in Rome?" Chuck asked.

Sarah nodded. "Chuck, Casey says you're in danger."

"Danger? What kind of danger?" He rubbed the back of her neck with his hand.

"Casey says that Shaw is with the ring." She turned to look at him.

"What?"

"He says he has proof. How could I have been so blind Chuck?"

"Sarah, you couldn't have known, he fooled us all." Chuck tried his best to sound reassuring.

"He's coming after you."

"And I'll be ready for him Sarah. We'll be ready." He pulled her in close and she rested her head against his bare chest. "We'll be ready."

_**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Okay, so this isn't a very long chapter, but it's something. I didn't want you all to forget about this story. Hope you enjoy and I look forward to all feedback, so please leave a review.**_

Chapter 5

Dmitry had finally arrived in Rome. With Shaw's directions, he had no trouble finding Chuck's apartment complex. He set up camp at the hotel across the street. Using his high tech spy devices, he could see directly across the way into Chuck's apartment. He saw the blonde sitting on the couch, but his target was no where in sight. Dmitry snapped pictures to send to Shaw. He watched as she jumped up from the couch and rushed to the door. She looked through the peephole and quickly ushered the large man inside. Dmitry continued to snap pictures.

"Casey!" Sarah closed the door behind him.

"Where's Chuck? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's in the shower. What the hell is going on Casey? Shaw is involved with the ring?"

"I overheard him on the phone." Casey replied.

Chuck emerged from the bathroom freshly showered.

"Casey? You're here." Chuck said making his way into the living room.

"Bartowski. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Were you attacked?" Casey asked.

"What no, why…why would you think that?" Chuck obviously confused by Casey's question.

"Your head." Casey pointed to Chuck's forehead that now displayed a huge black and blue goose egg.

"What?…Oh, no….no, I just bumped my head…it's nothing."

Sarah smirked as she replayed the events in her mind that led up to that goose egg. She shared a look with Chuck and he smiled too.

"Alright, well I don't know how much time we have. Chuck is in danger. We all are." Casey continued.

"Casey how do you know this?" Chuck questioned.

"I overheard Shaw on the phone. I caught him sneaking out of your apartment.""My apartment? Why was he in my apartment?"

"He took a laptop from your room. I heard him speaking on his phone, he said if you weren't on their side you had to be taken out. He ordered a hit on you Chuck. I did some research on Shaw. Come to find out his wife, Evelyn Shaw, alias Eliza Rathbourne was a member of Fulcrum and was recruited by the ring 6 months prior to her death to head up the new terrorist group. She worked in collaboration with her partner and husband David Rathbourne, known to us as one Agent Daniel Shaw.

"I can't believe it. All this time. Shaw's been lying to us all this time? How could we be so stupid? How could I be so stupid?" Sarah replied.

"Sarah, you couldn't have known. He fooled us all." Chuck replied.

"Chuck's right. He fooled us all." Casey chimed in. "The important thing now is that we stop him. Bringing down Shaw could mean bringing down the ring."

"Casey, I don't get it. Shaw's wife was killed years ago. I thought the ring was a new terrorist group?"

"Apparently not. Apparently they have been around for quite some time now, gathering intel and recruiting members."

Chuck turned his attention to Sarah.

"Casey's right. This could be the break we've been waiting for. We bring down Shaw, we bring down the ring"

"Okay, so what exactly is the plan?" Sarah questioned. "We can't let Shaw know that we are on to him."

"Sarah's right. If he knew we were on to him we'd have no time to retaliate. We'd be sitting ducks." Chuck said.

"I know, so let's work on a plan." Casey replied.

"Alright, well, let's take this conversation to my secret base." Chuck led the two agents to his kitchen pantry and punched in his code on the access panel and waited for his retina scan to complete before the door opened and the three of them entered Chuck's secret headquarters.

"Wow, nice set up you got here Bartowski. Not too shabby."

"Yeah, I like it."

Chuck guided them over to a table in the middle of the room. Casey took a seat and Chuck pulled a chair out for Sarah.

"Alright team, let's get down to business. Chuck said taking a seat at the table.

"Shaw we got a problem." Dmitry said into his cell phone.

"What is it?" Shaw questioned.

"Looks like Bartowski has company, it might be a problem getting him alone."

"Company? What company?"

"There's a blonde with him, a real looker. And now some guy showed up, looks like he could be an agent. I'm uploading pictures to you now."

Shaw watched his phone as the pictures came through.

"Dammitt Walker." Shaw replied when the picture of Sarah popped up on his phone.

Shaw groaned when the picture of Casey popped up on his phone. "What the hell are you doing there Casey?"

"Boss, what do you want me to do?" Dmitry asked.

"Just keep an eye on them for now. I'll be in touch." Shaw clicked his phone off. This definitely put a dent in his plans.

All eyes turned to Sarah when her cell phone went off. She picked it up and looked at the screen.

"It's Shaw." she said.

"Answer it." Casey instructed.

"Hello." Sarah said as Chuck activated the call tracing device.

"Sarah. I've been trying to reach you. How are you?"

"I'm good. I had my phone off for a while, just trying to take a break from everything you know. Take a little time for myself."

"Yeah I get that. Where are you anyways? I was thinking maybe I could come see you. We could take a little vacation together, you know just the two of us. I feel like things have kind of gotten off track with us since Chuck's red test and all."

"Daniel, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh come on Sarah. It could be fun. When's the last time you had a vacation anyway."

"Well, it's been a while that's for sure." She replied.

"So how about it then? Tell me where you are and we can meet up.""Look Shaw. This thing between us…whatever you thought we had…It's just…It's not going to work."

"Sarah, you're just upset about this whole thing with Chuck. I know you still have feelings for him. What better way to get over those feelings than to move on with someone else?"

"Shaw, I'm not going to get over those feelings. Chuck and I aren't over. We haven't even started yet. I'm not going to give up on us without even giving it a shot. You and I…we're over."

"Sarah. You're making a mistake. You and I…we're so much alike. We could be great for each other."

Casey signaled to Sarah that they traced the signal from Shaw.

"No offense Shaw, but we are nothing alike."

"Sarah please."

"Look I have to go."

"Sarah."

"Goodbye Shaw."

Sarah hung up the phone and tossed it down on the table.

"Shaw's still in L.A. We can trace his calls from the past 24 hours with this feedback, see who he's been in contact with. Good work Walker."

Casey stood up with the tracing device and made his way over to the computer. Chuck reached out and took Sarah's hand into his, stroking it gently and giving it a firm squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled before mouthing the words 'I love you.' to him. He smiled and brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it before he mouthed the words back to her.

"All right kids, looks like we got something here." Casey announced from across the room.

Sarah and Chuck stood up and joined Casey at the computer.

"What did you find Casey?" Chuck asked.

"Shaw has made contact with this number several times in the past 24 hours. It belongs to a Dmitry Pinolli."

Chuck's eyes rolled back in his head as he flashed on the name. Images popped in his head one after another for a good 20 seconds before he came out of it.

"Chuck? Are you okay? What did you see?"

"Dmitry Pinolli. He's an international ring operative. He was the one responsible for the failed attempt on the prime minister back in 2009, not to mention, led hits on several top political icons in Europe over the past year."

"Well he must be our guy then. This has to be who Shaw order to take you out." Casey blurted out.

"Okay so now what? Do we wait for him to come to us? Wait for him to make a move?" Chuck questioned.

"We get to him first. Take him by surprise." Sarah chimed in.

"Walker's right. If Pinolli doesn't know we are on to him, we have the advantage here. I can put a trace on this number and get a location on him. It's our best shot."

"Then let's do it." Chuck replied. "What are we waiting for?"

Shaw flashed his boarding pass and made his way onto the plane. It was about time he took matters into his own hands and now knowing that Sarah was taking Chuck's side, he had nothing holding him back.

He settled into his seat and contemplated his plan in his head. Before the day was over. Chuck Bartowski would be dead.

_**Thanks for reading, Hope you enjoyed.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Alright Chapter 6 is up. There is a lot happening in this one. Hope you like it and I hope you take the time to leave a review. Thanks.**_

Chapter 6

When Daniel Shaw's plane finally landed in Rome, nightfall was upon him. Shaw hailed a cab and headed to meet Dmitry. He was hoping to get a look at Chuck and his colleges. With any luck he'd be able to get an idea as to what they were up to.

Casey, Sarah and Chuck were finalizing some plans when Casey's small tracking device began to beep.

"What's that?" Chuck asked Casey who was examining the device.

He smiled and released one of his usual grunts. It was the one he used when he thought things were going his way.

"Shaw. He's on to us. He's in Rome." Casey Replied.

"Shaw's in Rome!" Sarah exclaimed. "We're not ready."

"So we'll improvise." Casey smiled.

"Casey, I hate to break it to you, but you're not even supposed to be working. You're a civilian remember. If Beckman found out. It would be the end of all our careers. Not to mention jail time."

"Yeah, well I figure Beckman will forgive all of that when we bring down Shaw and the ring."

Chuck had been standing back watching his team and taking in everything. He was leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him. Finally he spoke.

"Sarah, Casey's right." he said standing upright and dropping his arms to his sides. "We can't worry about what could happen. We need to do this. We need to stop him." Chuck said making his way over to her.

"Okay, how are we going to do that?" She asked as she looked up at him and stared into those big beautiful brown eyes.

"You need to contact him. Set up a meeting with him." Chuck suggested.

"We'll take him by surprise. Get him while he's vulnerable." Casey chimed in.

"What am I supposed to say to him? I just told him that we were through? Why would he want to meet with me?"

"Sarah, you are a great spy, I'm sure you can convince him to meet with you. Give him a call." Chuck said handing her the cell phone.

She reached out and took it from him. She briefly pondered what she would say before punching in his number.

Shaw made his way into the hotel room where Dmitry stood at the window gazing through his binoculars. Shaw grabbed a second pair and joined him at the window.

"Well?" Shaw asked.

"There hasn't been any activity in hours boss. I haven't seen anyone leave the apartment. There must be a secret base of some sort inside."

"Of course there's a secret base inside, you idiot. He's CIA. Look at the place they set him up with, you think someone as important as Agent Bartowski wouldn't have a secret base?" Shaw rolled his eyes.

Shaw barely finished getting his words out when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. He smiled when he saw that it was Sarah calling him. "This should be interesting."

"Hello." he said bringing the phone to his ear.

"Daniel." The voice came from the other end.

"Sarah? I'm surprised to hear from you. Last we spoke you were ready to cut off all ties with me."

"Yeah, about that Daniel….I just, I want to apologize. I've been so confused lately. about Chuck and you…I think I just needed to get my head on straight. And I think I've finally done that."

"Oh?' He waited for her to say more.

"Yeah…I spoke with Chuck."

"You talked to him?"

"Yeah, I actually….I went to see him….I'm in Rome." She continued.

"The thing is. What I thought Chuck and had….well, it turns out that…well…"

"What is it Sarah? What are you trying to say?"

"Daniel, I made a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"When I told you it was over between us…That's not what I want Daniel." Sarah made a gagging motion to Chuck who stood by watching her work her magic on Shaw. Chuck smiled in response.

"Let's meet Sara so we can talk in person. I just happened to be in Rome."

"You're in Rome?" She asked pretending like she had no clue.

"Yeah Beckman sent me on a small side assignment and to see how Chuck was settling in."

"Oh…well….where do you want to meet?"

"Whatever's best for you." he said.

Sarah gave Shaw the directions to a small family owned restaurant, a few blocks away. They would meet there within the hour.

"Well done Walker." Casey commented when she finally ended the call with him.

"Yeah, nice job Sarah, you were very…..convincing." Chuck added. She smiled back at him and he returned the gesture.

"Well I had best get ready." she said. "I need to change." Sarah made her way to the door of Chuck's secret base and let herself out.

Casey and Chuck shared a look with one another.

"You ready for this Bartowski?" Casey asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

After speaking with Sarah, Daniel and Dmitry left the hotel. Daniel made a couple of calls on his way out.. He had his suspicions that something might be up, Sarah wasn't usually so fickle when it came to making up her mind about things. He had an inkling that she was up to something and he wanted to be prepared.

An hour later, Daniel entered the small restaurant and found Sarah sitting at a table for two in the far back corner. He approached her slowly. She looked up to see him coming towards her and she flashed him a smile. He reciprocated the act and took a seat across from her at the table.

"Daniel." She greeted him "It' so good to see you."

"Wow. Sarah, you look incredible." he said as he took the seat across from her, never taking his eyes off of her.

Sarah was wearing black dress pants with black high heel shoes and a low cut red top that hugged all of her curves and accentuated them perfectly.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." she said as he settled into his chair.

Chuck was listening to them from the van nearby. It was his turn to make the fake gagging motions. Casey just rolled his eyes.

Before the two had the chance to say anything more, the waiter approached ready to take their order.

Daniel ordered an expensive bottle of wine to start. the two then ordered their desired dishes. The waiter jotted down their order and left the two by themselves.

"I'm so glad you called Sarah." He leaned in across the table and grabbed her hand with his. She nearly cringed when his skin came in contact with hers.

"So am I." she said with her very best fake smile.

"So, what happened with Chuck when you saw him?

"Let's just say that it all became very clear to me why the two of us never worked out… and why you and I would." She flashed him another smile as she reached across the table for his other hand which he happily gave her.

"That's it Walker, reel him in." She heard Casey say in her ear piece.

Dinner went smoothly for the two agents. Afterwards they stepped out into the brisk air. It was beginning to get late and the streets were pretty dead.

"How about a walk?" she suggested.

He nodded and the two headed off down the street.

Chuck watched from the van. He would allow them get a good lead before he started following them. He cringed when he saw Shaw place his hand on the small of her back to guide her onto the sidewalk, he then reached out and took her hand into his and pulled her closer.

Sarah felt a bit uneasy knowing that Chuck was watching this all transpire. Sure he had witnessed her getting close with a mark before, but things were different now.

Their cards had been placed on the table, they knew where each other stood and she couldn't help but feel like she was hurting him in some way by allowing this to take place.

Chuck watched the couple round the corner. He moved into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Easy there Bartowski. Don't be over eager, give them a little more space you don't want him to see us." Casey warned.

Chuck took a deep breath. He waited another minute before he slowly pulled out onto the road.

"He's taking her to his hotel room." Casey announced from the back of the van.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"He just asked her to come over so they could talk more. She agreed."

"Yeah I'm sure he wants to talk."

"Don't worry Bartowski, Walker knows what she's doing, she can handle this…can you?"

"Of course, I can handle this…why wouldn't I be able to handle this?" Chuck questioned.

"Because you're letting your lady feelings for Walker get in the way. Now man up and lets do what we need to do."

Chuck rolled his eyes. He continued down the road. Just up ahead he was able to make out Sarah and Shaw. He pulled the van to a stop and dimmed the lights so as not to be visible to them.

"Sarah, I know this is a set up." Shaw tightened his grip on her and pulled his gun with his free hand.

"What? Daniel what are you doing?" Sarah questioned.

Casey listened carefully from his transmitter. "We got a problem." he announced.

"What? What's wrong?" Chuck asked. He got up and moved to the back of the van. He slipped on the extra set of headphones so he could hear the conversation between Sarah and Shaw.

"You must think I am really stupid Sarah. Why is Casey in Rome?"

"Casey?"

"Don't play dumb Sarah."

Casey took off his headphones and tossed them down. "Gear up Bartowski, we're moving in." Casey announced handing Chuck a gun while he tucked one in the back of his pants and grabbed another one to carry.

"Casey this isn't a tranc gun."

"We don't have any tranc guns Chuck. It's time to play like a big boy. Let's go." Casey opened the door on the van and jumped out. Chuck hesitated for only a second before following suit.

"I'll head East, you circle around to the left, we'll try to cut them off by that alley way up ahead."

Chuck nodded and the two headed off in different directions.

"Daniel, I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to pull away from him but he pulled hard on her arm. "Daniel, you're hurting me."

"I've been having Chuck followed Sarah, My guy saw you and Casey with him."

"Fine! Casey's in Rome. Why are you having Chuck followed? And why are you holding a gun on me Daniel. If this is some kind of revenge because of what I said to you earlier on the phone about not wanting to be with you…" Sarah started.

"This has nothing to do with that Sarah!" He raised his voice. "So where are they? Are they going to jump out and take me by surprise?" He let go of her hand and held his gun to her as he looked around for any sign of Chuck or Casey.

"You didn't answer my question Shaw. Why are you holding a gun on me? We're on the same team remember."

"Walker we stopped being on the same team the night you threw me out of your hotel room."

He moved in closer and pressed the gun against her forehead.

"Are you with the ring?" she finally asked the question she was dying to ask.

Shaw laughed. "Is that what you think, that I'm _WITH_ the ring…Walker I _am _the ring!"

Just then, Casey struck Shaw from behind, causing him to drop him gun. Sarah took a step back as she lost her footing.

Shaw managed to get in a good punch with Casey who in turn lost hold of his gun. They went after each other in anger. The two of them engaged in an all out physical brawl with one another.

Sarah took the opportunity to grab Shaw's gun from the ground. Just as she stood upright, she heard the gun cock behind her and the cold metal press against the back of her skull.

"Drop it." Dmitry ordered.

Sarah tossed the gun back down to the ground.

"Now, turn around….slowly." he ordered.

Sarah put her hands up and slowly turned to face him.

"You must be Dmitry Pinolli." Sarah said.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"I know a lot about you. For instance I know Shaw ordered you to take out Agent Bartowski."

"Good looks and a brain, I'm impressed." he replied.

"Good looks, a brain and the ability to kick your ass!" Sarah said before swinging her leg up to kick the gun from his hand.

Dmitry was caught off guard and stumbled back as he tried to recover from the blow. Sarah continued her assault on him.

Casey and Shaw also continued to duke it out, both to the point of extreme exhaustion as they delivered and received blow after blow.

In a moment of weakness on Casey's part, Shaw was able to gain the upper hand. He grabbed hold of John by the throat, he held him up against the cement wall of an old, now empty, store front. He squeezed harder and harder until Casey could no longer fight him back. Just when Casey felt as though his life was about the slip away. Shaw was attacked from behind. The barrel of the gun came down hard on the back of his head, knocking him to the ground and out cold in one swift motion. Casey too dropped to the ground as he struggled for air.

"Way…to use….the…gun…Bartowski." Casey said through ragged breaths.

"Thanks, I thought so." Chuck replied before turning his attention to Sarah, who was still going rounds with Pinolli.

Pinolli struck Sarah hard, causing her to drop to the ground. He kicked her several times in the stomach before Chuck could get to her. Pinolli picked up his gun and drew it on Sarah as she lay on the ground grimacing in pain.

Chuck approached grabbing Pinolli from behind. He had him in a head lock. Pinolli dropped his gun as he tried to free himself from Chuck's hold on him. He managed to break free and turned, taking a swing at Chuck and striking him in the jaw. Chuck retaliated with a few swings of his own and with the 2.0 kicking in, it wasn't long before he had the upper hand once again.

While Chuck was battling it out with Dmitry and Sarah and Casey were both still on the ground trying to get their bearings, no one noticed Shaw coming to. He stood slowly grabbing his head. He pulled his hand away and looked at it, only to see it was covered in blood. The anger was building up in him. Shaw looked around and located his gun. He looked up and saw Chuck battling it out with Dmitry. He looked closer and saw Sarah starting to get up. He approached her fast and began pulling her to her feet, just as Chuck delivered a knock out punch to Pinolli. Pinolli hit the ground with a thud.

"Owwww!" Sarah yelled out as Shaw grabbed hold of her arm, nearly yanking it out of socket as he pulled her to her feet.

"Let her go Shaw!" Chuck yelled out as he approached them.

Casey struggled to get on his feet. He searched the ground for his gun. He found it quickly. Shaw held the gun to Sarah's head as both Casey and Chuck were moving in on him.

"Stay back, I'm warning you." he said as his sight shifted back and forth between the two men."

Casey pulled his gun. "Drop it Shaw. There's no way out of this. Give up!"

"That's what you think Casey." he said extending his gun, he fired it at Casey. Casey flew back from the impact and hit the ground hard. Chuck took the opportunity to attack Shaw. He kicked the gun from his hand and sent it flying. Shaw delivered a round house kick, striking Chuck in the face.

The two fought with every ounce of their being. It was the ultimate fight of good versus evil. Just when Chuck thought he had the upper hand, Shaw delivered a blow that sent him flying, ultimately landing him on the ground a few feet away.. Shaw took the opportunity to move in. Much like he had with Casey prior, Shaw knelt down and grabbed Chuck by the throat. He squeezed tighter and tighter. He could feel Chuck getting weaker and weaker. He could see the fear in Chuck's eyes as his life slipped away and he smiled.

Chuck heard the gunshot, it seemed so far away. Then he could feel Shaw loosen his grip on him. Chuck gasped trying to take a deep breath. Chuck watched Shaw, his intense glare seemed to burn a hole right through him as he leaned over, collapsing on top of him.

Chuck reached out to try to move him off of him. He felt the warm wet substance on his hand and held them up to see what it was. Chuck gasped once again when he realized his hands were covered in blood. Shaw's blood. Chuck struggled to get out from underneath him. He managed to wiggle himself out. He smiled when he saw Sarah standing there, her arm still extended with the smoking gun in hand.

"Chuck." She finally dropped the gun and ran to his side. "Are you okay?" She asked, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah." He pulled her in for a hug and quickly released her when she winced in pain. "Are you okay?"

She laughed, "Yeah, just don't squeeze too hard."

Chuck smiled and kissed her forehead. "Oh my God, Casey." He said releasing Sarah and running to his other partner's side. Sarah joined him.

"Casey are you okay?" Chuck asked kneeling down beside him.

"No, I'm not okay, I'm shot you moron." Casey grunted.

"Let me see." Sarah said pushing Chuck out of the way. She examined the wound carefully.

"Chuck, help me get his shirt off." Sarah ordered.

Chuck assisted Sarah with Casey's shirt. She looked at the wound more closely.

"I think the bullet went strait through, but we have to get you to a hospital John."

Casey just grunted in response.

"Hand me his shirt Chuck."

Chuck tossed her Casey's shirt.

"Here Chuck, hold this on him like this." she demonstrated for Chuck. "Lots of pressure Chuck."

Sarah stepped aside and pulled out her cell phone. Chuck moved in next to Casey and held his shirt on the wound to try to slow the bleeding.

"Don't worry buddy, everything's going to be fine."

"Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Did we… get… Shaw?" Casey flinched in pain.

"Yeah Casey…..We got him."

_**Okay, so the end is almost here, I'm thinking one more chapter to wrap it up. Thanks everyone for reading. I look forward to your reviews.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Okay this is it! Final chapter is up. I hope you all enjoy it and find the ending satisfying, it went in a little bit of a different direction than I had initially envisioned. This will be my first completed Chuck fanfic. Thank you all for reading and sticking with it. I look forward to all of your comments. Thanks!**_

**_Oh and my appologies if this is difficult to read. my page breaks keep getting removed and i don't know how to make them stay._**

**Chapter 7**

Sarah and Chuck had been waiting patiently in the waiting room. They had been there for several hours now while Casey was brought into surgery. The bullet had gone straight through his shoulder but several bullet fragments were still inside him.

Sarah's head rested on Chuck's shoulder as she stared down at their fingers laced together. She gave his hand a squeeze, waking him from the trance he appeared to be in.

He gave her hand a squeeze back and brought it to his lips and placed a kiss on it before turning his attention to her. He leaned down and brushed his lips softly against her forehead.

"What time is it?" she asked him.

Chuck glanced at his watch. "Almost two. You want some coffee or something?"

"No thank you." Sarah sat up and readjusted herself in the chair. Waiting room chairs weren't exactly the most comfortable chairs around and they had been sitting in them for some time now.

Chuck ran his hand up and down her back in an attempt to make her a little more comfortable.

"I think I need to get up and stretch my legs." she announced.

Just as Sarah stood up. The surgeon who operated on Casey entered the room. Chuck had a hard time making out a word he said. He wasn't exactly up to par on his Italian and the 2.0 wasn't helping him. Fortunately for them, Sarah spoke perfect Italian.

Sarah thanked the doctor and turned her attention to Chuck.

"Well?" he asked.

"Casey's doing well. He's out of surgery, they have him settled in his room. The doctor said we could see him, but only for a few minutes. Then we can come back tomorrow."

Chuck breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Come on let's go see him." Sarah grabbed hold of Chuck's hand and pulled him out the waiting room and down the hall to the elevator. They waited for the doors to open and jumped inside. Chuck pushed the button for the 6th floor. As the doors closed he pulled Sarah into his arms and held her tightly. She fell into his embrace effortlessly and wrapped her own arms securely around his waist, resting her head against his chest. Both of them physically exhausted and emotionally drained.

When the elevator doors opened, the two stepped out and made their way down the hall to Casey's room.

They entered his room and found the nurses just finishing checking his vitals. The nurses grabbed their belongings and left the room, reminding Chuck and Sarah they could only have a few minutes on their way out.

Chuck and Sarah approached Casey's bed.

"Hey buddy. How are you feeling?" Chuck asked, taking a seat in the chair next to Casey's bed.

Sarah took a seat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle it or disturb Casey in any way.

"Mmm, I'm good." Casey smiled a goofy grin.

Sarah smiled at Chuck. "Painkillers." she said, explaining Casey's current demeanor.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing so well. The doctor says you're going to be just fine.

A couple days here to get back on your feet and you'll be as good as new in no time." Chuck stated.

Casey grunted. It was a happy, drug induced grunt that neither Sarah nor Chuck had ever heard before.

"They won't let us stay long Casey, but we wanted you to know that we spoke with Beckman." Sarah started. "You have been officially reinstated. Shaw and Pinolli are in CIA custody. As of half an hour ago, officials were able to recover more than a dozen ring operatives and have several more leads that they are currently perusing. We expect come this time tomorrow, the ring will be no more."

"That's great Walker!" Casey rested his head back against his pillow. His eyes fluttered open and shut.

"Yeah…Well Casey, I think we'll let you get some rest. We will be back to see you tomorrow." Chuck said standing from his chair.

"Hmmm." Casey replied. His eyes now fully shut with no signs of opening again.

Sarah laughed and stood up from the bed. "Looks like he's got the right idea."

Chuck extended his hand to her. "Come on, lets go get some sleep ourselves."

"Best idea I've heard all day." she said with a yawn as she accepted his hand. The two made their way out of the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, the two were entering Chuck's apartment.

"Mind if I take a shower?" Sarah asked once they got inside. "I really need to get myself cleaned up."

"Sure, go ahead. You can use the bathroom in the master bedroom. Take your time."

Sarah grabbed some pajamas out of her suitcase and made her way back to Chuck's bedroom and entered the bathroom. Chuck made his own way back to his room and grabbed a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt from his drawer. He heard the shower water start and had to stop for a minute. The thought of Sarah's naked body so close, a mere wall separating them, sent chills down his spine. He had to shake the thoughts from his head. Doing so, he grabbed his belongings and left his room. Chuck headed for the bathroom that was connected to the guest bedroom to take his own shower. Preferably a cold one.

Chuck finished his shower first. Once dressed he made his way back to his bedroom. He heard the water from the shower shut off. A few minutes later, Sarah came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, running a brush through her wet hair.

Chuck couldn't help but notice how good she made pajamas look. No fancy clothes, no make-up. She was gorgeous and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"What?" she asked when she caught him staring.

Chuck was embarrassed. He had been staring and didn't even realize it. He could only imagine the look he had been giving her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare…I just….You're so beautiful."

Sarah blushed. Now she was the one who was embarrassed. She made her way over to Chuck and sat down next to him on the bed. Sarah leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Breaking the kiss she leaned her forehead against his.

"Sarah."

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

Sarah lifted her head so their eyes could meet.

"I love you Chuck."

It was his turn to lean in and kiss her. The kiss was brief, yet effective all the same.

"I was really scared tonight Sarah." He said as they pulled away. "I thought Shaw was going to kill you."

"I thought he was going to kill you." She replied.

"But you saved me."

Sarah smiled. "You saved me first."

Sarah reached out with her hand and gently caressed his cheek. She hadn't noticed it earlier with everything that had been going on, but he had developed quite the bruise, not to mention a small cut just under his right eye, adding to the goose egg that already adorned his head from earlier in the day.

"How's your face?" she asked.

Chuck laughed. "You tell me."

"It's… beautiful." she replied stroking his cheek with her fingers.

Chuck cupped her face with his hands and kissed her tenderly on the lips. The kiss quickly became heated. Sarah ran her fingers through his unruly curls, while Chuck moved his hand down to caress her thigh. Things intensified between them, Sarah moved to position herself on Chuck's lap so that she was straddling him as the two continued their attack on one other's lips.

Chuck's hands moved smoothly, now caressing both of her thighs, as they worked their way up to her hips. Sarah moaned against his mouth as his tongue begged for entrance. Sarah smiled and happily obliged. Chuck's hand made it's way up the back of her shirt. His fingertips moved leisurely over her skin. She trembled under his touch and he pulled her in closer. He broke the kiss when he felt her body quiver.

"Sarah, you're shivering. Are you cold?"

"No." Sarah laughed.

"Are you okay?" he looked genuinely concerned. "You're shaking."

"Chuck, I'm fine, I just….when you touch me…"

"What?"

"No one has ever made me feel like this."

"Is that a …good thing?" he asked

Sarah smiled. "Yes, it's a very good thing." she said before attacking his lips once again. It didn't take long for Chuck to respond. Sarah tugged at the bottom of Chuck's t-shirt and quickly pulled it up over his head and discarded it on the floor. She ran her hands up his chest briefly before wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned into him and pushed him back onto the bed. Her lips made their way down his neck.

"Sarah."

"Hmm?"

"I thought you were…tired?"

Sarah sat up to look at him and smiled. "I guess I got my second wind." Sarah's smile faded. "Why are you too tired?"

Chuck laughed. "Are you kidding. I'll never be too tired for you. Never." He reached up with his hand and clasped it behind her neck and pulled her back down to him. He kissed her urgently. Chuck took the opportunity to turn her over onto her back so that he was now on top of her. He slipped his fingers beneath the bottom edge of her tank top and began pushing it upwards, revealing more and more of Sarah's flesh by the second.

Sarah raised her hands above her head, allowing him to remove the garment. Chuck trailed kisses down her neck as he ran one hand over her bare breast. She writhed with pleasure beneath him as his mouth continued to work it's way down her body.

Pretty soon Chuck found himself kneeling on the floor. His lips made their way down her abdomen. Chuck stopped when he saw the bruises on her lower stomach.

"Oh my God! Sarah!"

"What?' Sarah propped herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"Your stomach. My God! Are you okay?"

"She reached out with one hand and stroked his cheek. "Chuck I'm fine…Really, it's just some bruises."

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

Sarah smiled. "Not when you're kissing me, it doesn't….Please don't stop." she pleaded.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

"Are you sure?"

"Chuck….are you going to make me beg?"

Chuck smiled. "I'd never make you beg for anything." he moved back in and placed soft, sensual kisses on her bruised abdomen. Sarah smiled and ran her hands through his thick curls. She laid back down on the bed and took pleasure in Chuck's exploration of her body.

She felt Chuck's fingertips creep under the edge of her pajama bottoms. She could feel him slowly tugging at the material sliding them down her body. Sarah lifted her bottom allowing him to pull them down with ease. Seconds later she found herself lying before him completely naked and exposed.

Chuck caressed her leg as he knelt before her admiring the view. He kissed the inner part of her ankle and began working his way back up the inner part of her leg until he came to her thigh.

Chuck brought himself to his feet and Sarah scooted herself back onto the bed. She reached out to him with both hands. He happily accepted them and she pulled him towards her. Chuck came down on top of her, being extra careful not to press down on her abdomen.

"I've never wanted anything more in my whole life, than I want you right now." She whispered in his ear. Her hot breath sending shivers down his spine.

"Me either Sarah." he replied before capturing her lips once again. Sarah tugged at his boxers, wanting nothing more than to free him of them. With a little help from Chuck it was only a matter of seconds before they went tumbling to floor too. There was nothing between them, nothing separating them but skin. They both reveled in the feeling of their bare flesh pressed tightly against one another.

"Sarah, are you sure about this?" he asked looking into her eyes.

Sarah smiled once again. "Chuck, make love to me."

Chuck smiled back at her. "I love you so much Sarah."

"I love you Chuck."

And in one swift motion, he entered her. They moaned with pleasure as they moved in synch with one another, exploring one another, savoring one another.

Despite their exhaustion, the two managed to make love into the wee hours of the morning. By the time the sun was coming up, they had only gotten a mere half hour of sleep. Half an hour later their sleep was disrupted by Chuck's blaring alarm clock going off. Chuck moved quickly to shut it off in hopes of not disturbing Sarah, but he was not quick enough.

"Hey, sorry. I forgot to turn the alarm off last night. I tried to get to it before it woke you." He said as she stirred in his arms.

Sarah yawned and snuggled in closer to him. "It's okay." she replied.

"I'm sorry, try to go back to sleep." he said giving her a squeeze as she moved even closer to him. He brushed his lips against her forehead.

"Mmmm, Okay." She replied half asleep as she closed her eyes.

Three hours later Chuck woke to Sarah kissing his neck.

"Good...morning." she said between kisses when she felt him move beneath her. "Or should…I say...good...afternoon."

"Mmm, what time is it?" he asked.

Sarah stopped her assault on his neck and propped herself up to look at him. "Around noon." she replied.

"That's it?" he asked. "I thought it would be later. We didn't get very much sleep."

"Do you want me to let you go back to sleep?" she asked innocently.

Chuck laughed. "Not on your life Walker."

Sarah smiled at his response. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Just as Sarah was about to lean back in to kiss him, Chuck's cell phone on the night stand began to ring, ruining the moment. He debated whether or not to even look at it, but in the end decided it could be important.

Chuck picked up the phone and looked at the screen.

"It's Beckman." he announced.

Sarah propped herself up and listened while Chuck answered the phone.

"That's wonderful General. I can bring the laptop to the hospital with me this afternoon. You can tell the whole team together…..Yes General…..Actually, I was hoping for a transfer…..Yes I know I just got here…No it's not that…..No really you don't have to do that….I just….I want to return to Burbank with Colonel Casey and Agent Walker, I want my team back…yes General….as soon as Casey's ready to travel….Very well…Okay General….yes…Thank you." Chuck hung up the phone and placed it back on the night stand.

"What was that all about?" Sarah questioned.

"Beckman has just informed me that the Ring has been completely defused. They are no more."

"Really?"

Chuck nodded in response.

"That's great!"

"We have a briefing this afternoon from Casey's hospital room. I'll bring the laptop with us when we go. Oh and I'm moving back to Burbank. Looks like the team is back together."

"What? Really?"

"Yup. As soon as Casey can fly, looks like we're headed home."

"But what about all of this?" Sarah asked, looking around his posh bachelor pad.

"What about it Sarah? All of this, it means nothing. You, you mean everything."

Chuck pulled her in and kissed her softly on the lips. Sarah nestled into him, when their lips parted she laid her head on his chest.

"Sarah...last night...last night was..."

"Amazing." she finished the sentence for him as she drew circles on his chest.

"Yeah...that and so much more." He replied. "I just….God Sarah, I can't believe that you're even here…That we're together…I've wanted this for so long…I didn't think we'd ever be together."

"I'm sorry Chuck…I wanted it to….I was scared…I've never been good at this sort of thing…relationships are not my forte…I've never even told a boyfriend that I loved him before…not until you."

"Are you serious?" He propped himself up on his elbow and adjusted himself to look at her. She moved to look up at him.

"Yeah."

"I'm the first person you've ever said that to?" He asked.

Sarah nodded. "You're the first person I've ever felt that way about."

Chuck reached out with his hand for her cheek. He brushed the pad of his thumb lovingly alongside it and her eyes met his.

"I love you being so open with me. It's all I ever wanted. I guess maybe I'm selfish in a way. I want all of you Sarah, heart, body and soul."

"I want to give it all to you. Chuck…you're my best friend…until I met you…I've never had a best friend."

"Sarah, you're my best friend too. You are the only person in this world that I can trust with anything, that I feel like I can tell anything to. I have never been as happy in my whole life as I am when I'm with you. I want to make you happy. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to be loved, and not only do I intend to love you with all my heart and soul until the day I die, I will worship you and do anything and everything in my power to see to it that you have everything you need and you get everything you deserve."

Tears formed in her eyes. "Why are you so wonderful? I have never known anyone as incredible as you in my whole life. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"No, I'm the lucky one Sarah. I'm the luckiest guy in the world." He leaned in and kissed her. It was a kiss full of love and promise. Promise of a long happy life together.

_**The End**_

_**Okay hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts on my first completed Chuck story, so please leave a review. If you enjoyed this perhaps you would like my other story I am working on "It's Hard to Say Goodbye."**_


	8. Author's note

Author's Note

**Hello everyone. I just wanted to re-post this for anyone who may want a refresher. I will begin posting a sequel in the next couple of days, by the title, "Spies, Secrets, Lies and Consequences." Hope you all check it out. As always, thanks for reading.**


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